CIRO From Recovery to Restoration

The response to, and recovery from, a major disaster transitions through several thresholds of activity: preparation, immediate response, recovery and finally restoration. The Cayman Islands will in January begin the final phase in the process: restoration. This will signal the beginning of the end of Ivan’s impact on the Cayman Islands.

As Hurricane Ivan began to bear down on Cayman, emergency responders through the National Hurricane Committee activated to prepare for the event, taking all measures to reduce the loss of life and property. No one could have predicted the catastrophic impact Ivan would have on Grand Cayman.

Immediately following the all clear, emergency responders began measures to make the island safe for those sequestered by the event.

After weeks of responding to the aftermath of Ivan, conducting damage assessments and seeing to the needs of those displaced, a concerted effort was made to begin the recovery process that would address the disposal of hurricane debris and see to housing needs.

The final phase of disaster recovery is the restoration of public and private facilities damaged and/or destroyed by the event. Restoration is a long-term process, one that can take years to complete. However, within the restoration process is the opportunity to make the community better and more secure against future events. Action can be taken to mitigate the rebuilding and repair of the community’s damaged structures and infrastructure from future loss due to hurricanes, flooding, storm surge and high winds.

The New Year will usher in the restoration phase of the Ivan recovery effort. Lessons learned from this experience will provide the foundation from which all future emergency response and recovery operations will benefit.

The next six months will be used to prepare for the 2005 hurricane season, focusing on the pointers learned from Hurricane Ivan. An emergency response and recovery plan addressing all hazards will be initiated, focusing on improved procedures and mitigation measures to lesson the loss due to natural and man-made disasters.